David Strand, chair of the political science department, has just got back from England, where he was the director of the Dickinson Norwich Center for two years and he is still re-adjusting to the slow pace of life in Carlisle.

“Part of my job in Norwich was to organize field trips for Dickinson students to different cities and explored as much of England as possible.” Strand said “We visited a lot of museums and saw many musical performances, thus every weekend is very exciting. Of course this is quite different from the quiet and peaceful lifestyle in Carlisle, which I also missed when I was abroad.”

Beside being the chair of the political science department and a full-time professor, David Strand likes to spend his time in the Kline Center where he enjoys swimming. Students are very likely to meet him at the pool in the afternoon as he strives to go swimming every day regardless of the weather.

A lover of nature, it is no surprise that his academic interest focuses not only on politics but also on the environmental aspect of many big countries in the world. In fact, many of his classes revolve around the urbanization process of Asian cities and their impact on the ecological world, including a class called “Asian Urban Ecology” this semester and “The Politics of Parks” during Spring 2018.

“Most people like parks because that is where they can connect with nature and relax after a hard-working day, but few know about the controversy surrounding parks and how to preserve their green space and natural resources,” said Strand “During the summer of 2014, my wife and I went on a road trip across the United States to look into different parks in the country. We drove over 10000 miles, visited around 10 national parks and talked to a lot of park rangers about the challenges of preserving a park.”

Strand is fluent in English and Chinese and has lived in various cities in the world, including:  Beijing, London, Taipei, Taiwan and New York City. His favorite city is Hong Kong because of its connectivity to the rest of the world and its perfect fusion between Western and Eastern cultures.

Strand also studied German in college, and though he did not pursue the language, he was able to make use of it during his visit to Switzerland. “This is why I keep telling my students to study as many languages as possible while they still can.” said Strand “You never know when you might need to use your linguistic skills to ask for directions or simply order dinner in a foreign country.”